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Engineering Courses

If you know you want to do Engineering, but you still don't know what course to pursue, you should have a look at our brief synopsis of each course, and also find out the best colleges to do the course from.

It can be referred to as the mother of all branches in engineering. Involves a lot of technical drawing and must be opted only if you are sure that you don’t mind spending majority of your time in drawing and other related calculations. Complicated physics comprises a major part of the curriculum. Basics of automobiles are also included as a part of this course.

Job Prospects:

A lot of core mechanical companies, including Larsen and Toubro, Godrej offer highly technical job profiles. Students are expected to have a good knowledge of what they’ve studied in the past 4 years.

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One of the core engineering streams, it is related with study of infrastructure and construction of bridges, roads, dams, canals and buildings as well as their maintenance. If your dad’s a builder and you still want to study a bit (which isn’t a bad idea- studying a bit more won’t hurt you), then this is probably one good option for you.

Job Prospects:

Civil engineers plan and design bridges and tunnels, as well as highways, airfields, harbours, water and sewage systems, and buildings. They also supervise the construction of such projects to ensure that they are built according to carefully drafted plans. Thus they can expect to get jobs in companies that specialize in these functions, like L&T, etc.

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Chemistry lovers should surely opt for this course, as also for those who plan to do masters in petroleum related subjects. Chemical engineering largely involves the design, improvement and maintenance of processes involving chemical or biological transformations for large-scale manufacture.

Job Prospects:

Chemical based companies like aromatics, petrochemical, washing powder etc. However, most chemical engineers go abroad to do their Masters, after which they are often hired by pharmaceutical companies, or packaged-foods companies. Students doing their Masters in fields like perfumes can hope to get placed in some of the household perfume giants.

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Coding comprises a huge part of this course. So if you love programming and if your eyes don’t start watering when you spend a good amount of time on the computer, you can go for it. Also involves the hardware part of the computer. One of the in-demand courses.

Job Prospects:

Great job prospects. Most students get placed, regardless of college. A computer engineer continues doing what he’s been doing for years, i.e.- coding! Expect IT companies like Accenture, TCS, Infosys and Wipro to visit your college.

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If you are confused whether to opt for computers or I.T., don’t be, because both the streams offer the same curriculum to a great extent. The two courses differ by just about six subjects in all from all the four years!! I.T. concentrates slightly more on the software front and you will not have to learn the insides of the computer.

Job Prospects:

Read above, replacing ‘computer’ with IT.

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It is one of the core branches of engineering. First of all, it’s important to know that electrical engineers do NOT earn a living repairing tube-lights or refrigerators. The truth is they actually deal with electricity and power generation and transmission. Study of electrical machines, transformers, motors, and generators forms the major part of the curriculum.

Job Prospects:

Jobs offered are Core electrical, although very different from what your local electrician does. Jobs involve the production, repair, maintenance and development of electrical appliances or even planning and executing power houses. Companies like Philips, Tata Power often come in and recruit electrical engineers.

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If you like wires and playing with circuits, go for the electronics branch. Electronics engineering involves the design and testing of electronic circuits that use the properties of components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes and transistors to achieve a particular functionality. You will be taught the basics of microprocessors, microcontrollers, their circuits, and working of the insides of a very basic level computer. You will also be given an introduction to robotics.

Job Prospects:

Core companies like Philips offer technical job profiles to candidates. Job structure involves synthesizing Integrated Circuits (ICs) maintenance, repair, and development of electronic devices or appliances like televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. No, it is NOT what electricians do!

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More to do with electronics than communication. So if you love telecommunication and are opting for this course only on the basis of that, bear in mind that only the last year of this curriculum truly deals with communication. In the first three years, you’ll be given an introduction to telecommunication but you will still be dealing with electronic circuits on a large scale, whether practically or on paper. Only the final year differs from electronics engineering, otherwise the curriculum is more or less the same. The subject content is the same, only the names of the subjects are changed to make it appear different.

Job Prospects:

A major difference between EXTC and Electronics may be the fact that, after doing a Masters and specializing in a particular field, a Telecom engineer can expect to work for Telecom giants like Reliance Communications, Huawei & Intervo or cellphone companies like Nokia, designing mobile networks or mobile phones respectively. For employment immediately after graduation, however, just read above.

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You could call it the ‘poor mans Mechanical Engineering’, but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not a good course. Curriculum comprises the study of materials, their strength, their usage in various industrial machinery as also for the study of the machinery itself. Lots of technical drawing is involved and most of the time is spent in the drawing hall of the college. It is a sandwich course and includes management as an integral part of the course.

Job Prospects:

A technical job profile at core companies like L&T or Godrej, which most would know about after their internships in the seventh semester.

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It is a mixture of engineering and medicine. In this field you will be taught about the working and designing of various instruments used for medical purposes. A lot of medical studies, such as anatomy is also involved so students who hate medicine shouldn't go for it. You are also taken to hospitals for visits. On the engineering front subjects based on electronics form the major chunk.

Job Prospects:

Most Biomedical Engineers get placed at a variety of different hospitals, though they are also eligible for the IT companies that come in. It is always preferable to apply to hospitals externally (ie, off-campus) as well.

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Instrumentation involves the design, configuration and optimization of industrial systems. Basically, if you have raw materials and you know the output you want, the instrumentation engineer shows you the way. It has many subjects in common with electronics, electronics and telecommunication, electrical and mechanical engineering and thus a course in instrumentation can be followed by a specialization in certain areas of the above branches, apart from the core instrumentation courses. Figuratively, it makes you a jack of 4 trades by being a master of one!

Job Prospects:

Ideally instrumentation engineers should get jobs in Research & Development departments of public sector companies that have thermal power stations, or steel plants. However, as things stand, most instrumentation engineers have to settle for IT jobs, or mechanical-engineer-type jobs at best. The premium colleges, however, have companies like Ultratech Cement, etc coming in for placements.

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Automobile engineering or automative engineering is the field of engineering which deals with the study as how to design, manufacture and operate automobiles like buses, trucks, cars etc. and also their respective engineering subsystems. This can also be a grouped under vehicle engineering.

An automobile engineer's main duty is to design, test and develop vehicles and/or components from concept stage through to production stage. The vehicle after being launched in the market also needs improvement. Then it comes to the duty of the automobile engineer to improve the vehicle in response to customer's feedback.

Job Prospects:

Don’t think you’re going to be working at Rolls Royce just because you’re an automobile engineer. Although a few sincere (and lucky) students at some good colleges do manage to get placed at Tata Motors and the like, most automobile engineers normally end up in IT jobs.

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Biotechnology, as the name suggests, is a combination of biology and technology. In practical application, this means that scientists can use genetic technology to develop treatments for diseases and to beneficially alter the genetics of humans as well as other life forms. Biotech engineering is offered in few colleges, but is a good course nonetheless. Subjects are somewhat similar to those in Biomed, although it is more IT-centered than electronics-centered.

Job Prospects:

As far as colleges in Mumbai are concerned, biotech engineers and biomedical engineers are treated much the same in terms of placements. So you could apply to hospitals, or wait for IT companies to come along and pick you up.

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Textile Engineering combines the principles of engineering with specific knowledge of textile equipment and processes. The curriculum draws from other engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, and industrial and chemical engineering. The emphasis is on science and engineering. Students planning to pursue a degree in textile engineering will find it advantageous to have a strong background in mathematics.

Job Prospects:

Textile engineers normally find careers in dyeing and finishing, research and development, quality control, or sales and marketing in domestic or foreign companies related to textile production. However, not all students are lucky enough to get such placements, and most might find themselves stuck in an IT job.

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Marine engineers engage in construction and maintenance of sailing vessels. This also includes the supervision of engine crew involved in operating the machines, and checking for smooth functioning of all steam engines, electric motors, propulsive engines etc. Marine engineers are continually striving to improve the efficiencies of existing shipboard conventional steam, gas turbine, diesel, and nuclear propulsion plants. Marine engineers are exploring new technologies such as superconductivity, magneto hydrodynamics, fuel cells, and ocean thermal energy. Deals with the design, manufacture and operation of ship engines and machinery. This also includes the supervision of engine crew involved in operating the machines and checking for smooth functioning of all steam engines, electric motors, propulsive engines etc.

Job Prospects:

Marine engineers in India don’t find too much work very easily. Although core mechanical companies like L&T do hire marine engineers, the job profile is never really related to their field. However, after a good MS abroad, life can be pretty much a ‘smooth sail’ for marine engineers